And back in 1977, it was a really happy one for the RFH Class of ’78 and some underclassmen. It was a tradition back then to get the Halloween party started early — like from the beginning to the end of the day at school.

So, RFHers arrived via the bus or (ahem) other appropriate or inappropriate mode of transportation all dressed up for the occasion with somewhere to go. RFH. They spooked, laughed, pranked and played all day and even paraded over to the Rumson elementary schools.

Yes, RFHers did Halloween in grand style. Take a look. (Click, wait and watch our slideshow.)

May the retro spirit of RFH haunting be with you!

Can you guess which is yours truly — your RFH Retro publisher/founding editor?

Call it Halloween buddy system brooming. Remember the old buddy system? Trick or treating with a buddy to stay safe. Ever apply that theory in high school tricks with the only treat being the friendship and good ride through it all together?

Well, this gruesome twosome of best buds applied the system for some double trouble all in good ghoulish fun. Now that’s a special brand of mischief. You could say they were headed every witch way on this Halloween in the late 1970s, except to class.

The two would be Sue Brower and Bonnie Werner of the RFH Class of ’78.

So the double-dose Retro Pic(s) of the (George) Day feature them at their Halloween best.

Scary season has set in. People in the Rumson-Fair Haven area aren’t just out raking leaves, either. They’re haunting up their homes, crafting costumes and getting into the spirit. So, why not add a little extra retro spooking from RFH students of the past?

BOO … who or what? It was all in the haunt for RFHers back in the 1970s. They started getting the Halloween party going early on and ended up with a pretty festive feast of ghouls on the grounds of the high school and, yes, beyond.

A Tinton Falls man who, in 2018, retaliated against a 63-year-old special needs person, after being caught in possession of the person’s stolen bicycle, has been convicted of witness retaliation and related charges, Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni announced on Friday.

Some are creepy. Some kooky. Some mysterious. Some spooky. And some, as the Addams Family theme song goes, are “altogether ooky.” That is how Halloween decorations around the towns in Rumson and Fair Haven can be described.

But to see for yourself is to know the thriller factor of it all. So, a good drive-boo (or by), or two or three, of local haunts is always in order on such a “holiday.” The Halloween spirit, or spirits, seem to have moved residents — or at least jarred them a bit. Good ghoul! Now, that’s the All Hallows spirit!

Take a look at the latest and most diabolical decorations we spied and tell us about the best haunters in your ‘hood for Halloween!

Photos/Elaine Van Develde

Halloween in Fair HavenPhoto/Elaine Van Develde

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It’s that time the year again when thoughts of old-time Hunt times come flooding back for many Rumson-Fair Haven area folks. There may still be a Hunt, but not this one. So, we are offering a glimpse back to the days of the Haskell Hunt from a non-tailgating vantage point with a reprise of the following Retro Pic(s) of the Day piece originally posted on Oct. 20, 2017 …

Fair Havenite Tom Bull’s description of The Hunt to “outsiders” has quickly become a classic: “I used to explain to people how it was a cross between a Grateful Dead concert and a Grey Poupon commercial.”

The elegant tailgating part shown yesterday would be the Grey Poupon commercial aspect. Hippie Hill is the Grateful Dead concert side — or so it would naturally seem.

So, here’s the Dead concert — or, perhaps, a little Lennon soirée …

It was probably the late 1970s. These peacefully assembled cool long hairs and renegades likely snuck into the Haskell Hunt through the fence and onto that infamous hill on ol Amory Haskell’s elegant estate. Call them musicians, concertgoers and peace pipe tokers, if you will.

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To talk to anyone who considers the Rumson-Fair Haven area home, from their own back yard to far away places, a peek into the day’s end at the river is a home embrace. A hug. Comfort. So it’s been said. So it’s been felt.

So, if you can’t get down by the river tonight, here’s a hug, or 20, from the end of your road to home. (And, don’t forget to click to enlarge to get the whole hug picture.)

Which hometown hug speaks to you most?

— Elaine Van Develde

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A Monmouth County man has been charged with the murder of another man whose body was found lying in the roadway in Howell early Friday morning, Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni announced.

The Fair Haven Knollwood School grads have always been a styling, close-knit crew — a crew of cohorts that’s always shared many Kodak moments, in pairs, trios, cliques and all together.

Just as photography has evolved from Brownie camera to Instamatic to Polaroid, to phone camera, to full-on professional photo shoots, graduation photo ops have devolved back to single inspired family front lawn shots. That’s where the photo blitz usually began. Now it’s where it ends, too. So, some things never really change — much.

It’s an unprecedented graduation time in Rumson and Fair Haven this year. These pandemic days, in Fair Haven, eighth grade students are being met with a diploma, Superintendent Sean McNeil, Knollwood School Principal Amy Romano and a mini front-yard graduation snapshot in time and ceremony. It started this week.

While eighth grade graduations have taken place in various venues over the years, from what was Willow Street School (now Viola L. Sickles School) to Knollwood and then to Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School, there’s never yet been a front lawn march to Pomp and Circumstance. Yet, this year’s comes close.

So, in honor of the eighth grade students graduating Knollwood School’s Class of 2020, we take a look back in a reprise of an eighth grade graduation post from June 18, 2018, featuring the Class of 1946.